Apparatus And Method To Produce A Panel

Abstract

An apparatus for forming OSSB panels and OSB panels including a scattering head and a scattering arrangement, a method of forming such panels; a layer of an OSSB panel and an OSSB panel. The apparatus includes a scattering head for distribution of binder covered material particles on a conveyor belt.

1 - 26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . A scattering head for distribution of binder covered material particles on a in longitudinal direction moving conveyor belt, which in principle can move in only one longitudinal direction, for forming a mat on the conveyor belt for a later compressing to an OSSB panel (Oriented Structural Straw Board) or OSB panel (Oriented Strand Board), wherein the scattering head shows the largest expansion in longitudinal direction and is arranged substantially in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt above the conveyor belt, wherein the scattering head comprises rotatable spindles, which are arranged with a distance to each other in longitudinal direction and which each comprise a shaft in crosswise direction to the longitudinal direction, wherein a multiplicity of disks are arranged with a distance between each other at the shaft, wherein at least at some of the disks of two neighbored spindles the disk radius is bigger than half of the longitudinal distance between the shafts of the neighbored spindles, so that the disks can overlap at least partially, characterized in that the scattering head comprises a control unit with at least two different operation configurations, wherein the direction of rotation of at least one spindle, preferably of most of the spindles, even further preferred all spindles of the scattering head, are defined by the operation configuration. 
     
     
         28 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that two or exactly two operation configurations are provided and/or the directions of rotation of the individual spindles defined by a first operation configuration are defined by a second operation configurations exactly in opposite directions. 
     
     
         29 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that the disks are made of a non-metallic or non-ferrous material, preferably plastic material or aluminum, and/or the spindles of the scattering head are arranged in longitudinal direction symmetrically to a middle plane, wherein the middle plane divides the scattering head in longitudinal direction in two substantially equal halves. 
     
     
         30 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that a material supply area is arranged firmly and/or above the spindles of the scattering head and/or arranged in addition in longitudinal direction symmetrically to a middle plane. 
     
     
         31 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that the spindles are arranged in at least two or exactly three substantially horizontal rows above each other, and/or the number of spindles of the very upper or all rows is an odd number. 
     
     
         32 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that the spindles of the scattering head have at least two different disk distances along the shaft and/or a smaller disk distance is provided at centrally arranged spindles, and/or in a row of spindles there are fewer centrally arranged spindles having a smaller disk distance compared to a there below arranged row of spindles. 
     
     
         33 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that finger shaped disks are provided in a very upper row of spindles and/or flat shaped disks are provided in a very bottom row or the remaining rows. 
     
     
         34 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that recesses, particularly notches, can be placed on the circumference of a flat shaped disk. 
     
     
         35 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that angular disks, particularly hexagonal or octagonal, can be applied. 
     
     
         36 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that an additional spindle at the end of a substantially horizontally arranged row of spindles can be arranged in such way that the additional spindle is placed above the row of spindles and that the disks of the additional spindle overlaps with the disks of at least one spindle of the substantially horizontally arranged row of spindles, and/or the additional spindle being arranged between the last and the last but one spindles of one row. 
     
     
         37 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that one or more spindles at the end of a row of spindles can have an opposite direction of rotation compared to the neighbored, centrally arranged spindles of the selfsame row. 
     
     
         38 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that a smaller disk distance at centrally arranged spindles is provided. 
     
     
         39 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that in a row of spindles there are fewer centrally arranged spindles having a smaller disk distance compared to a there below arranged row of spindles. 
     
     
         40 . The scattering head of  claim 27 , characterized in that in one row of spindles, at most 5, preferably 4, especially preferred 3 centrally arranged spindles have a low disk distance, and/or in a there below arranged row of spindles, preferably at least 7, especially preferred 9, very preferred at least 11 centrally arranged spindles have a low disk distance. 
     
     
         41 . The scattering arrangement with at least two scattering heads of  claim 27 , characterized in that the scattering heads are arranged along a single conveyor belt. 
     
     
         42 . The scattering arrangement of  claim 40 , characterized by one or more distribution heads, which have a simple construction compared to the scattering heads and which are arranged next to the scattering heads along the single conveyor belt, and/or the distribution head or the distribution heads are arranged in the middle between two scattering heads. 
     
     
         43 . The scattering arrangement of  claim 40 , characterized in that a distribution head is designed in such way that material particles are distributed with cross orientation on the single conveyor belt. 
     
     
         44 . The scattering arrangement of  claim 40 , characterized in that a distribution head is designed to distribute material particles of light, fibrous material, which is not straw. 
     
     
         45 . A method to produce an OSSB panel (Oriented Structural Straw Board) or OSB panel (Oriented Strand Board) with a scattering head for distribution of binder covered material particles on a conveyor belt according to  claim 27 , wherein the scattering head comprises spindles and a control unit with an operation configuration for defining the direction of rotation of the spindles, wherein preferably the material particles comprise mostly longitudinal split straw or mostly longitudinal wooden particles, characterized in that one of at least two operation configurations of the control unit of the scattering head is selected or activated. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45 , characterized in that it can only be selected among two operation configurations and/or that the two operation configurations provide each the opposite direction of rotation for the individual spindles. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 45 , characterized in that the distribution head is supplied with differently composed and/or with different amounts of material particles compared to the distribution heads. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 45 , characterized in that finger shaped disks are provided in a very upper row of spindles and/or flat shaped disks are provided in a very bottom row or the remaining rows. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 45 , characterized in that recesses, particularly notches, can be placed on the circumference of a flat shaped disk. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 45 , characterized in that angular disks, particularly hexagonal or octagonal, can be applied. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 45 , characterized in that an additional spindle at the end of a substantially horizontally arranged row of spindles can be arranged in such way that the additional spindle is placed above the row of spindles and that the disks of the additional spindle overlaps with the disks of at least one spindle of the substantially horizontally arranged row of spindles, and/or with the additional spindle being arranged between the last and the last but one spindles of one row. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 45 , characterized in that one or more spindles at the end of a row of spindles can have an opposite direction of rotation compared to the neighbored, centrally arranged spindles of the selfsame row. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 45 , characterized in that a smaller disk distance at centrally arranged spindles is provided. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 45 , characterized in that in a row of spindles there are fewer centrally arranged spindles having a smaller disk distance compared to a there below arranged row of spindles. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 45 , characterized in that in one row of spindles, at most 5, preferably 4, especially preferred 3 centrally arranged spindles have a low disk distance, and/or in a there below arranged row of spindles, preferably at least 7, especially preferred 9, very preferred at least 11 centrally arranged spindles have a low disk distance. 
     
     
         56 . A method to produce an OSSB panel (Oriented Structural Straw Board) or OSB panel (Oriented Strand Board) with a scattering arrangement according to  claim 40 , which comprises at least two scattering heads and/or a simple constructed distribution head to distribute material particles in the middle between two scattering heads along a conveyor belt, characterized in that at each scattering heads, one of at least two operation configurations of the control unit for defining the direction of rotation of the spindles of the scattering heads is selected or activated. 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 56 , characterized in that the two operation configurations each define opposite directions of rotation of the spindles and/or opposite operation configurations are selected at two scattering heads to produce an OSSB panel or OSB panel. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 56 , characterized in that in addition to the selection or activation of an operation configuration at one or both scattering heads, the material particles are supplied with different composition, average particle length, and/or that material particles with a portion of light, fibrous material, which is not straw, are supplied to the distribution head with a low or high material throughput. 
     
     
         59 . Layer of an OSSB panel (Oriented Structural Straw Board), wherein the layer of the OSSB panel comprises binder covered and compressed material particles mostly of longitudinal split straw, wherein preferably almost all material particles of the layer are processed through the selfsame scattering head, wherein the layer has a first surface and a second surface at the opposite side of the layer, wherein both surfaces extend in parallel to the OSSB panel surface and have in cross direction a distance to each other of the size of the layer thickness of the layer, characterized in that the layer comprises material particles with a length L over a length range of 0<L≦120 mm, which can be subdivided into six equal length segments, wherein the length distribution of the material particles of the layer of the OSSB panel covers each of these length segments, and material particles with a length >9.5 mm are comprised in the first surface of the layer with a portion of >30% and/or in the second surface of the selfsame layer with a portion of <30%. 
     
     
         60 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that the length distribution of the material particles along the cross section is composed in such way that the material particle length continuously decrease or increase along the cross section. 
     
     
         61 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that the layer has a first surface and a second surface at the opposite side of the layer, wherein both surfaces extend in parallel to the OSSB panel surface, and/or the OSSB panel surface has a length and a width, wherein the length extends in longitudinal direction and is bigger than the width, wherein the width is bigger than the thickness of the OSSB panel, wherein in cross direction, the distance of the first surface to the second surface equals exactly the layer thickness. 
     
     
         62 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that the layer comprises material particles with a length L over a length range of 0<L≦120 mm, which can be subdivided into preferably six equal length segments, very preferred 12 equal length segments, wherein the length distribution of the material particles covers each of these length segments of the layer of the OSSB panel, and/or all material particle lengths within the above through length segments described raster are thus represented between 0<L≦120 mm. 
     
     
         63 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that material particles are comprised with a length >9.5 mm in the first surface of the layer with a portion of >35% and/or in the second surface of the selfsame layer with a portion of <20%, preferred <15%. 
     
     
         64 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that material particles are comprised with a length >9.5 mm in one of the surfaces of the layer to a visible portion of >50 and/or to a weight portion between 30% and 60%. 
     
     
         65 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that the material particles are comprised with a length between 6.3 and 9.5 mm in the first surface of the layer to a weight portion of 15 to 25% and/or in the second surface of the selfsame layer to a weight portion of <20%. 
     
     
         66 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that the material particles are comprised with a length between 4 to 6.3 mm in the first surface of the layer to a weight portion of 10 to 25% and/or in second surface of the selfsame layer to a weight portion of <30%. 
     
     
         67 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that the material particles are comprised with a length between 2 to 4 mm in the first surface of the layer to a weight portion of 5 to 20% and/or in second surface of the selfsame layer to a weight portion between 20 to 30%. 
     
     
         68 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that the material particles are comprised with a length between 1 to 2 mm in the first surface of the layer to a weight portion of <8% and/or in second surface of the selfsame layer to a weight portion between 10 to 20%. 
     
     
         69 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that the material particles are comprised with a length <1 mm in the first surface of the layer to a weight portion of 5 to 40% and/or in second surface of the selfsame layer to a weight portion <15%. 
     
     
         70 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that an outer layer is solely comprising material particles of straw and/or mostly with a half-shell-shape. 
     
     
         71 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that a core layer comprises a portion or solely material particles of a light, fibrous material, which is not straw. 
     
     
         72 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that a density of the core layer and/or a glue content in the binder are different, particularly higher, compared to the outer layers. 
     
     
         73 . The layer of an OSSB panel of  claim 59 , characterized in that material particles of a core layer are majorly cross-oriented and the material particles of an outer layer majorly longitudinally oriented. 
     
     
         74 . OSSB panel (Oriented Structural Straw Board), characterized in that the OSSB panel comprises at least two separate outer layers and at least one separate inner core layer, and/or that at least one of the outer layers is a layer according to  claim 33 . 
     
     
         75 . OSSB panel of  claim 48 , characterized in that the outer layers are composed symmetrically along the cross section of the OSSB panel concerning the length distribution of the material particles, and/or that the outer layer comprises nearly solely material particles of straw and/or mostly with half shell shape. 
     
     
         76 . OSB panel (Oriented Strand Board) produced with a method of  claim 45 .